With his painting of Madame X wanted to establish the American portrait painter John Singer Sargent in France, but instead caused great controversy, which drove him from Paris. As a model for his portrait, which was presented at the Salon de Paris in 1884, he unsolicitedly selected Virginie Gautreau, wife of the banker and shipowner Pierre Gautreau, well-known and notorious in the fine company of the French capital. Sargent painted her with pale skin in a low-cut, black dress whose straps are studded with jewels. Born in the US, Sargent was not enthusiastic and demanded that the painter withdraw the portrait, which he refused. Sargent also found it unpleasant to meet the mother of his involuntary model, who insulted him and accused her of ridiculing her daughter. Years later, Virginie Gautreau served as inspiration for other portraits for her portraits.

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Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau) by John Singer Sargent. Available as an art print on canvas, photo paper, watercolor board, uncoated paper or Japanese paper.
painting · portrait · female · woman · black dress · gold table · profile · full length · parisienne · pale skin · tiara · society · evening dress · fashionable · pose · scandal · controversy · controversial · shock · shocking · american · edwardian · europe · fin de siecle · fin-de-siecle · Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA / Bridgeman Images